Crop Drop to benefit food banks

Published: Friday, November 16, 2012 at 09:17 PM.

PANAMA CITY — The second annual Crop Drop is here to help fill hungry stomachs this holiday season, gathering produce and nonperishables to distribute to more than 20 local food pantries.

“There is a bigger need than ever for events like this,” Juan Andrada, organizer, said.

Volunteers have been assembling food bags and getting ready for the produce shipment Saturday, but Andrada said if someone missed donating to the Crop Drop, there are still opportunities.

He also said they always need produce baggers for the event today at Trinity Lutheran Church on 11th Street from 8 a.m. until noon and people can always take food to any local food pantry, regardless what time of the year it is.

International Baccalaureate Diploma program students from Rutherford High Schoolused Halloween as means to gather nonperishables for the Crop Drop.

“They went out on Halloween and did Trick or Can,” Andrada said. “They were trick or treating for canned goods and were exhausted after a couple of hours. We sent out flyers to the neighborhoods ahead of time to give fair warning and the students couldn’t cover all of the neighborhoods.”

PANAMA CITY — The second annual Crop Drop is here to help fill hungry stomachs this holiday season, gathering produce and nonperishables to distribute to more than 20 local food pantries.

“There is a bigger need than ever for events like this,” Juan Andrada, organizer, said.

Volunteers have been assembling food bags and getting ready for the produce shipment Saturday, but Andrada said if someone missed donating to the Crop Drop, there are still opportunities.

He also said they always need produce baggers for the event today at Trinity Lutheran Church on 11th Street from 8 a.m. until noon and people can always take food to any local food pantry, regardless what time of the year it is.

International Baccalaureate Diploma program students from Rutherford High Schoolused Halloween as means to gather nonperishables for the Crop Drop.

“They went out on Halloween and did Trick or Can,” Andrada said. “They were trick or treating for canned goods and were exhausted after a couple of hours. We sent out flyers to the neighborhoods ahead of time to give fair warning and the students couldn’t cover all of the neighborhoods.”

He also said other businesses and organizations held drives as well.

“We did a program called Take a Sack and Bring it Back,” Andrada said. “We asked for canned meat and fish or vegetables, canned fruit, toilet paper, cereal, diapers and wipes. So we have a little bit of everything. We did all of this to supplement the produce.”

Trick or Can gathered about 20 sacks full of nonperishables and Take a Sack pulled in about 200 of the 400 distributed bags.

In addition to local support, the Crop Drop got help from the Society of St. Andrew gleaning program.

“The produce comes from them; it’s a Christian organization that uses volunteers to glean produce from fields that have already been picked for the supermarket grade stuff,” Andrada said. “It’s a benefit for farmers because they need to get everything out before they can turn the land and it’s a benefit for the people because through activities like this [Crop Drop] we can distribute it to needy people.”

He said the Crop Drop is aiming for about 30,000 pounds of food to distribute to food pantries including the noperishables, sweet potatoes, cucumbers and corn.

Andrada is part of another nonprofit that he said believes giving back to the community is part of good business. He works for Thrivent Financial, a Christian and fraternal organization that uses money from tax breaks to help fund community projects such as the Crop Drop and help other organizations reach their fundraising goals.

“It gives me a lot of pride in them to help the community,” Andrada said.

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